Search Results for: Gen Z

February 15, 2023

Workspace Design Show returns (and so do we)

by Mick Jordan • Events, Features, Flooring, Furniture, Lighting, Workplace design

A few of you may already know this story. It was some 15 months ago and three old friends met up for the first time in quite a while (well, we had been through lockdowns etc). Having caught up with each other’s news, the subject turned to industry journals, what the three friends felt the market was missing and the possibility of collaborating in the not too distant future. That conversation occurred at the inaugural Workspace Design Show – which the three amigos were all hugely impressed by. The result of that conversation (and a few more chats and meets, of course) is Works. So, here we are, all those months later, pulling together a preview of the 2023 edition of WDS, which – we’re delighted to say – we’re very much a part of. And we don’t just partner with any one, you know. More →

February 14, 2023

Flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for employers

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A survey from CBRE claims that the imposition of more hybrid and flexible working has been an ‘unexpected gift’ for both employers and employees. The poll of 20,000 employees worldwide suggests that flexibility plays an important role for both employee and employer decision making. Other benefits include increased productivity and more innovative thinking. Flexibility about where and when work takes place was particularly important to workers. Around 40 percent of workers both globally and in the UK, noted flexibility as the primary factor in assessing job opportunities, with a company’s commitment to work-life balance another crucial factor. More →

February 13, 2023

Childhood’s end for work and the need for a grown-up conversation about it

by Mark Eltringham • Features, Flexible working, Technology, Wellbeing

Arthur C Clarke’s finest novel Childhood’s End is the story of an Earth that is invaded by a force of alien Overlords. This is not a destructive colonial invasion, which is why there’s no Hollywood blockbuster in the tale, but a seemingly benevolent intervention which ushers in a golden age for humanity. Although humankind initially does not get to meet the Overlords in person (for reasons I won’t give away here), the aliens unite the world’s governments, eradicate crime, conflict and the nation state and do away with the need for creativity and hard work. It is the literal end of history.

February 9, 2023

Working mums feel forced to limit careers due to inflexible working practices

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News, Workplace

A new report claims that many working mums have felt forced to limit their careers as a result of their employer’s inflexible and outdated working policies and cultures. The Shift from Worker to Working Parent sponsored by WOMBA (Work, Me and the Baby) and carried out by Hult International Business School (Ashridge) interviewed working mums and dads who had recently taken extended parental leave about the experiences they faced as they transitioned to parenthood in an organisational context. More →

February 8, 2023

Poor air quality affects chess players, and it might be affecting you too

by Francis Pope • Features, Wellbeing

Humans are exposed to poor air quality and pollution almost everywhere. The World Health Organization estimate that 99 percent of the world’s population breathe in polluted air each day. Chess players competing indoors are no exception – and it can affect their performance. A recent study conducted by researchers from Maastricht University (Netherlands) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) analysed the quality of chess moves across multiple German chess tournaments. They found that chess experts perform worse when there is more particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. More →

February 8, 2023

Herman Miller launches height-adjustable tables for home and office use

by Freddie Steele • News, Workplace design

Height-adjustable tables have become a staple in the home and office environment, offering users variety and comfort regardless of the tasks at hand. These pieces offer immense flexibility, but what if that flexibility could be pushed even further? What if a table could naturally provide more mobility, agility and range, broadening its multi-use capabilities—creating an instant workspace? Herman Miller’s Passport Work Table, the brand’s newest table offering, is designed to do all of that—all while keeping space prioritization top of mind. More →

February 8, 2023

People are split on whether hybrid working improves or worsens ‘workplace community’

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

People are still undecided on whether remote and hybrid working are having a positive or negative impact on their ‘workplace community’. According to a new poll, 37 per cent of UK employees feel that hybrid work has made it harder to create a workplace community but 41 per cent disagree. These are the findings from O.C. Tanner’s 2023 Global Culture Report which collected and analysed the perspectives of over 36,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners, and business executives from 20 countries around the world, including 4,653 from the UK. More →

February 8, 2023

Sector leaders implore EU to be ambitious when setting carbon targets for buildings

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News

With a crucial vote fast approaching on the EU’s key piece of building legislation, a coalition representing 35 organisations is calling on politicians to seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to eliminate carbon emissions from Europe’s building stock. Europe’s buildings account for around 40 percent of energy consumption and 36 percent of CO2 emissions. Currently, EU policy only addresses the operational emissions of buildings but to support total decarbonisation of the EU building stock, policy must evolve to cover both operational and embodied emissions, known as Whole Life Carbon. Without addressing both sources of emissions it is inconceivable that the EU will be able to achieve its climate targets. More →

February 7, 2023

Evening Standard SME XPO celebrates new, small and growing businesses

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Events

Building on the success of its launch event, the Evening Standard’s SME XPO 25-26 April 2023 at ExCeL London, once again invites founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders to attend an action-filled two-day programme and exhibition connecting the scaleup community, a vital part of the UK economy. SME XPO has established itself as the UK’s leading event dedicated entirely to ambitious SME founders and decision-makers who are looking to scaleup. The event will appeal to a wide variety of industries from micro businesses to medium and large SMEs, welcoming 4000+ owners, showcasing over 60+ speakers. More →

February 6, 2023

KI 800 Series storage defines spaces at award-winning Sunderland City Hall

by Freddie Steele • Company news

As part of an ongoing £500m regeneration project for Sunderland City Centre, a new City Hall has been developed on the former Vaux brewery site on the River Wear. The brief from Sunderland City Council was to create a space that could incorporate various council departments while creating somewhere that provides opportunities to engage with the local community. This includes a multifunctional council chamber, customer service centre, and café, all of which are on the ground floor. Since its completion, the City Hall won a BCO Award and was also named ‘Best of the Best’ National & Regional winner – both in the ‘Corporate Workplace’ category. More →

February 2, 2023

Floored by design. The new issue of Works magazine goes where angels fear to tread

by Mick Jordan • News, Premium Content, Workplace design, Works Magazine

Just what is it that you want to do? People of a certain age will know what answers come next. The rest of you can scroll down to find out. At least two-thirds of those responses still resonate when you ask people want they want from their work and workplaces. They wanna be free to do what they wanna do. And they wanna have a good time. And that’s what they’re gonna do. These are the exact same responses you hear when THE great, existential questions facing the office sector and occupiers are brought up along with those others that follow on from them. What is the office for, how should we design it, what does it do better than other places of work and what do people really want from it? More →

February 2, 2023

Do you walk or talk people centric change for success?

by Jennifer Bryan • Comment, JB, Workplace

In previous articles, I shared that there is a McKinsey report that states that 75 percent of the organisations that were listed at the time on the S&P would no longer exist by 2025 – they would either merge, be bought out or go bankrupt. This all means that organisations have to change and adapt or die. That is now less than 2 years away, so some organisations are now gone, some are struggling and some have adapted. With that said, organisations can no longer afford to get change wrong – they have to get it right and right now. And one way of doing this is to focus on people centric change. More →